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How to Project Manage Your Home Repairs

Planning and project managing home repairs and conversions is, arguably, more important than the conversion itself. If you don’t plan or have a strict timetable in place, you’ll find it difficult to keep everything on the right track. Plus, the longer your house is filled with dust and building debris, the more miserable you’ll be. Follow these 6 steps to keep your home repairs on track. For help getting the job done, take a look at these links for builders and building materials.

Plan your budget. Write down everything that you’d like to get done, in the order of importance. For example, getting your kitchen redone is more important than remodelling a bedroom. Creating a beautiful new bathroom is (for most) more important than painting the dining room. Write down a list of everything you need to do, then ask a professional (or get a builder’s quote) how long everything will take and how much money you’ll have to spend. Take it step by step, and don’t do one job here and one job there – it’ll really frustrate you.

Keep changes – changes of the project – to a minimum. It is unbelievably expensive to change things like your kitchen cabinets halfway through or the placement of plumbing pipes or electrical outlets. Make your plan, double and triple check that what you’re doing is what you want and stand by your decisions!

Choose materials wisely. If you’re on a tight schedule, keep in mind that fancy or more expensive materials will usually take longer to ship, longer to fit and longer to incorporate into the build. But on the other hand, these materials could be well worth it.

Consider starting your repairs during the “quiet” period. For example, in the winter, storm damage is more common, but if you try to get someone to repair it they may well be booked up for the next month. Instead, call your builder and ask them when they’re most busy, and book your home repairs to occur during their quiet period. Also – and this is really important – pay for the job, rather than the hour, otherwise you could find yourself out of pocket.

Plan repairs according to the seasons. Sort out storm maintenance in the summer and clear out drainpipes in the summer before they get blocked with leaves during the autumn.

If you know that you want your home to be transformed in time for Christmas or a special event, plan, plan and plan some more. It’s unfair to give them a tight schedule, especially if they’re likely to be incredibly busy.